Damascus Elementary School Receives National Paper Recycling Awards

WASHINGTON – The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) presented Damascus Elementary School in Salem, Ohio, with its 2014 School Recycling Awards for Participation and Volume. The awards, which recognize outstanding paper recycling programs, were presented at Damascus Elementary School’s end of the school year fourth grade assembly on Wednesday.

At Damascus Elementary School, recycling is considered a life skill for students and staff, and it is stressed during class time, at lunch time, at environmental club meetings and during morning announcements. Their efforts led them to recover highest amount of paper for recycling of all applications in the School category.

“AF&PA is proud to honor Damascus Elementary School’s recycling efforts with this year’s School Recycling Awards for Participation and Volume. Highlighting the importance of paper recycling from so many angles resulted in maximum participation and a high recovery rate,” said Judy Arvan, Continuous Improvement Manager at Graphic Packaging International, who presented the award on behalf of AF&PA.

“On behalf of Damascus Elementary School, thank you for the 2014 AF&PA Recycling Awards for Participation and Volume. We are glad to have so many students and staff involved in our recycling efforts, and these awards help to ensure that they know their efforts pay off,” said Matthew Manley, School Principal.

AF&PA recently announced that 63.5 percent of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2013. Recycling programs such as Damascus Elementary School’s, combined with the recycling efforts of millions of Americans each day, help drive the industry toward its goal to exceed 70 percent paper recovery for recycling by 2020.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. AF&PA member companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry’s sustainability initiative - Better Practices, Better Planet 2020. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 4 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures approximately $210 billion in products annually, and employs nearly 900,000 men and women. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 47 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper.